Starfleet sends Calvin Hudson, the ranking officer in the demilitarized zone along the Cardassian border and an old friend of both Sisko and Dax, to the station to investigate the possibility of retaliatory attacks. He tells Sisko his presence on the border is a joke; his assignment has been to help colonists whose land the Federation gave to Cardassia adjust to the new circumstances. Contrary to Starfleet's belief, Hudson is sure the Cardassians will not retaliate, but he guarantees a response will come.

Later, the man who sabotaged the Bok'Nor is abducted.

Act Two

When Sisko returns to his quarters that evening, he finds GulDukat waiting for him. Dukat explains that Cardassian Central Command is unaware of his presence on DS9, but he has come unofficially to help Sisko find the truth about the destruction of the freighter. In order to do so, the two of them take a runabout to a group of colonies in the demilitarized zone, which Dukat describes as "not so demilitarized I'm afraid." There, they find two Cardassian attack vessels attacking a Federation merchant ship; before the runabout can intervene, another Federation vessel arrives and destroys the Cardassians.

Act Three

Sakonna

Back on the station, Quark has arranged a "business" dinner with a Vulcan woman named Sakonna. She is eager to begin negotiations but he quotes one of the Rules of Acquisition: "Never begin a business negotiation on an empty stomach." When he describes the Rules of Acquisition, she finds them logical and "quite reassuring." Once Quark is ready to discuss business, he is surprised to hear she is looking to acquire weapons: she wishes to acquire a continuous supply of "guns, phaser banks, photon torpedoes, troop transports, and a number of cobalt-thorium devices," among others.

In the demilitarized zone, Gul Evek, the Cardassian attaché to the demilitarized zone, is in a heated debate with Cal Hudson when Dukat and Sisko enter the room. When they describe the incident they observed, both sides seem to feel that their colonists were justified. Evek then produces a confession from the Bok'Nor saboteur, William Patrick Samuels, but claims that Samuels committed suicide shortly after giving it. One of the colonists present attacks Evek and must be restrained.

Act Four

Dukat is abducted

Later that night, Hudson warns Sisko that the Cardassians have no intention of allowing the Federation colonists to stay and tells him the Bok'Nor was likely transporting weapons to Cardassian colonists. He concedes that Samuels might have destroyed the freighter but claims the colonists have the right to defend themselves. On the way back to Deep Space 9, Sisko discovers Dukat knew of Samuels' confession but knew nothing of the "suicide." Furthermore, Dukat swears on the lives of his children that the Bok'Nor was not transporting weapons.

Sakonna requests that Quark move the weapon shipment schedule forward and he complies greedily. Meanwhile, O'Brien has confirmed what Sisko believed: The bomb that destroyed the Bok'Nor was of Federation origin. Shortly after Sisko's and Dukat's arrival on the station, a group consisting of a man posing as a Starfleet security guard, Sakonna, and several colonists who were present during the confrontation between Evek and Hudson kidnaps Dukat.

Act Five

Sisko and the rest of the crew determine the course the terrorists most likely took and he, Kira, and Bashir follow them in a runabout. Before the trio leaves, an anonymous transmission from the demilitarized zone attributes the bombing of the Bok'Nor and the recent kidnappings to a group calling itself the Maquis.

They follow the Maquis into an area called the Badlands with which Bashir is unfamiliar. Kira explains that it is an area of the Cardassian
border with frequent plasma storms, which pilots generally try to avoid. "Sounds like the perfect place for a hideout," he observes. They beam to the surface of a planet, where the armed Maquis members emerge from nearby foliage — followed by Cal Hudson, out of uniform.

Memorable Quotes

"He happens to be brilliant, his brain is twice the size of yours and mine."
"I know, I've seen it."
"It's not his fault Gallamites have transparent skulls."

- Jadzia Dax and Kira

"And by the way, I'd love to melt that cold Vulcan heart of yours."

- Quark, about Sakonna but not to her

"...what I meant was, how about we plan our negotiations to coincide with when you think you'll be hungry? How does eight sound to your tummy?"

- Quark, after Sakonna rebuffs his offer of a drink.

"Commander, we just received a general subspace transmission from somewhere in the Demilitarized Zone. A group there is taking credit for the kidnapping of Dukat. They're calling themselves the Maquis."

- Kira Nerys

"I'm glad to see you had no trouble finding us, Ben. It seems that one disaster after another keeps bringing us back together again."

- Calvin Hudson to Benjamin Sisko, emerging out of uniform with the rest of the Maquis

"I've got every admiral within subspace range on my back. Can I at least tell them it looks like an accident?"

Trivia

Sisko states that the Cardassians were caught shipping weapons through the Yridians, but in the episode earlier in the season, "The Circle", it is found to be the Kressari who were acting as intermediaries. It is unclear whether this was a continuity error, or whether Sisko was simply referring to two separate incidents.

In the first scene of act 1, when Kira and O'Brien are searching the wreckage of the Bok'Nor, Kira is not wearing her Bajoran earring.

When Dukat and Benjamin Sisko enter the Promenade, having just returned to Deep Space 9 after visiting the Demilitarized Zone, it is obvious that the chest piece of Dukat's costume has detached itself from the underlying material. The rubber armor even catches a few times on the actor's lower arm as it swings while he walks.

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